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A report by the Third Way says President-elect Obama and Democratic leaders should prioritize rebuilding Americans' trust in government.
AP Photo

Before tackling any of their party’s broad, long-term legislative priorities, President-elect Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress should focus on rebuilding Americans’ basic trust in government, according to a new report by the centrist Democratic group Third Way.

“In recent years anti-government ire has cooled, but that does not mean that there has been a huge surge in support for its opposite,” said William Galston, a former Clinton administration official and University of Maryland professor who co-authored the report.

While Democrats are right to interpret their electoral victories as a mandate for change, Galston said: “The obvious question from this is, how broad is that authorization?”

Galston and his co-author, Harvard professor and fellow Clinton White House alum Elaine Kamarck, argue that the Bush administration undermined the public’s faith in government because of its bumbling response to Hurricane Katrina and its overly optimistic assessments of early progress in Iraq. They suggest that Obama begin restoring confidence by taking on a few projects aimed at reforming government and demonstrating the competence of his administration.

“You have to enact some confidence building measures,” Kamarck said, specifically mentioning an economic stimulus package and changes to the defense contracting process as areas where Obama could regain the public’s trust.

In the latest CBS/New York Times poll measuring trust in government, the Third Way report noted, only 17 percent of Americans said they trust the federal government “just about always” or “most of the time” – an all-time low.

The two political scientists are centrist Democrats who have been at the forefront of their party’s internal debates for over two decades. In 1989, they penned a report urging Democrats to move to the center on issues such as welfare, and in 2005 they published another paper arguing that their party should focus more on appealing to moderate and independent voters.

Kamarck and Galston’s latest report comes at a moment when Democrats are split over how best to approach the task of governing as a powerful majority. While some want party leaders to tackle urgent, easily achievable goals first to accumulate political capital, others argue for a “big bang” approach to governance, whereby one or two major legislative successes could quickly cement Democratic dominance.

“Barack Obama shouldn’t listen to the people trying to scare him into being a do-nothing president,” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote on November 7. “He has the political mandate; he has good economics on his side. You might say that the only thing he has to fear is fear itself.”

But according to Kamarck and Galston, Obama’s political mandate will be constrained by the record-low level of public confidence in the federal government, and any grand legislative moves could founder on the voters’ distrust in national institutions.

“Trust shapes the limits of political possibility,” Kamarck said. “Trust is not the same thing as election results.”

Both White House veterans pointed to the first two years of the Clinton administration as an example of Democratic overreach in the aftermath of an electoral victory.

“The low levels of trust in government were such that it did limit the possibility of political action,” Kamarck said. “The big example was the failure of Hillary Clinton’s healthcare plan in 1994.”

Readers' Comments (100)

It may already be too late for Democrats to re-build trust: they have already proven that they are no different from the Republicans, they have no economic plan beyond more of the same (bailouts for failed businesses) which will only postpone by a few weeks the inevitable. This is going to be a failed Congress unless the Democrats get rid of Pelosi and Reid; and unless they get rid of the same old economic faces that created the mess. Too bad. In 2010 the Democrats will be thrown out and replaced; in 2012, we'll have a president from a different party. This Democrats administration is toast before it has even begun.

First Obama has to rebuild trust in Genereal. He has divided the nation, divided the Democratic Party. Pitted Americans against Americans. He did a job on the country with lasting scars and much is still alive. His followers continue to spread hate and attack everyone. They can not get past it, even though he won the election. Now if that is his goal to keep that hate going, he is doing a good job of it. Today still have devastating effects from his manipulation of the minds of people. Until he comes clean and deprograms the hate he infused. No one in this country is going to trust anyone. It is there, alive and he can not deny it.

and hold all who were involved, responsible. This includes the Bush admin, NORAD, Raytheon, CIA and other intelligence services, and numerous others, as well as all the politicians who knew about it (before AND after) and hold them all fully, criminally responsible.

First Obama has to rebuild trust in Genereal. He has divided the nation, divided the Democratic Party. Pitted Americans against Americans. He did a job on the country with lasting scars and much is still alive. His followers continue to spread hate and attack everyone.

The Democratic party is not divided, the only people who pitted Americans against Americans were McCain & Palin with their hate rallies, and you are not a Democrat.

The Republican party is comparable to the Nazi party (after WWII) right now. You guys will always have a few diehards, but the rest of America (and the world) sees you as evil, corrupt, and dangerous in any position of power. Might as well get started on a name change, boys.

First Obama has to rebuild trust in Genereal. He has divided the nation, divided the Democratic Party. Pitted Americans against Americans. He did a job on the country with lasting scars and much is still alive. His followers continue to spread hate and attack everyone.

The Democratic party is not divided, the only people who pitted Americans against Americans were McCain & Palin with their hate rallies, and you are not a Democrat.

The Republican party comparable to the Nazi party (after WWII) right now. You guys will always have a few diehards, but the rest of America (and the world) sees you as evil, corrupt, and dangerous in any position of power. Might as well get started on a name change, boys.

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you decideTHIS!

You beat me to the bunch. What is seah talking about and what elction was this person watching/listening to?

seah...if you want to see the junk being thrown around just look above your post at marble.

Reflect a little and look who is really spewing the vile retoric you claim Obama is.

They suggest that Obama begin restoring confidence by taking on a few projects aimed at reforming government and demonstrating the competence of his administration

Also Speaker Pelosi could do more to demonstrate a commitment to ethics reform in the House. The ethics committee should allow investigations to be initiated by external "good government" organizations like Public Citizen, CREU and others,

First Obama has to rebuild trust in Genereal. He has divided the nation, divided the Democratic Party. Pitted Americans against Americans. He did a job on the country with lasting scars and much is still alive. His followers continue to spread hate and attack everyone. They can not get past it, even though he won the election. Now if that is his goal to keep that hate going, he is doing a good job of it. Today still have devastating effects from his manipulation of the minds of people. Until he comes clean and deprograms the hate he infused. No one in this country is going to trust anyone. It is there, alive and he can not deny it.

Who really cares what some idiotic report says? The very premise of the article is moronic. The man isn't president yet and won't be for another couple of months. Politico reporters ask the most inane questions, where are the questions about actual political happenings? You would think that there were no wars being fought, when is the last time there was a question about or an article about Iraq, Afghanistan, global terrorism? You would think there were no domestic problems, no economic woes. Nobody cares about Palin, or Lieberman or 3/4 of the crap the idiots at Politico scratche their balls about.

I, for one, am sick and tired of the far left and the far right and their moronic whine-fest. I would love to see both wings barbecued and Buffalo sauced. Where are the sane voices? I do not want a "middle ground" between the two fum-duck wacko wings, I want sanity, not Maddow or Hannity.

Who really cares what some idiotic report says? The very premise of the article is moronic. The man isn't president yet and won't be for another couple of months. Politico reporters ask the most inane questions, where are the questions about actual political happenings?

THIS IS NOT A NEWS SITE!! Its more like a museum and you get to come and see what a delusional republican sounds like. The "articles" posted here are just to draw them in so we can then laugh and make fun of them when they post their crazed rants.

It's true that bush and his entire administration was made up of disgusting thugs and war criminals. They should all be put on trial for war crimes, kidnapping, etc. But it may already be too late for Obama to restore trust in government. In my opinion, the fact that he apparently has offered Hillary the SoS position has destroyed my trust in him. I worked to get Obama elected. A LOT of that work -- on my part -- was meant to get rid of the Clintons as well as the bushes. Now, it turns out that Obama LIED to us, too. --- He promised change, but what he is actually bringing is more of the same disgusting sh!t. All the same, tired, dysfunctional people (in the case of the Clintons). Change? Trust? I guess not. Obama seems to be okay with flushing his promises down the toilet. Hillary...NEVER!!